“Let all those beings which exist -- without enemies, without obstacles, overcoming their grief and attaining happiness, be able to move freely, each in the path destined for them.”
– BUDDHAGHOSA • Visuddhimagga
“We are what we repeatedly do.”
– ARISTOTLE
“Mindfulness is not merely a concept or a good idea. It is a way of being.”
– John KABAT-ZINN
“You don’t make any decisions. You don’t judge anything. You just accept everything. If I do that for ten or fifteen minutes while walking around, I end up in a very peaceful, grateful state.”
– Naval RAVIKANT
During my most recent sabbatical I experimented with mindfulness-meditation.
Starting with 10 minutes then moving up to 20 minutes per day, I sat in an small spot outdoors, observing my surroundings and well as my body and mental activities.
I'm glad to report that, with a little persistence, this has now become a firm daily habit and something that I quite look forward to!
During this period I was reading a number of books that seemed relevant, including:
I had some interesting experiences and thoughts, which I thought I'd share.
Transformed experiences. When I experienced sounds and sights, I observed my (rather overactive) mind reacting to them. I observed a tendency to distinguish and label objects, animals, people, etc. Over time I gently nudged myself away from labels, focussing more on the wordless experience of these phenomena. I also found my experience broadening to encompass the overall atmosphere of the spot – the "total combination" (if you will) of all these phenomena. I found this practice began to subtly transform my experience of the environment, especially over time and repetition. I began to feel a greater sense of unity with the world. I don't think this was necessarily due to to any intellectual realisation, but more from developing a habit of not distinguishing myself from my surroundings.
Enhanced memory. I noticed an ability to recall things more easily – from facts and figures I've been learning in various studies to even imagery from dreams. I'm not sure whether this is attributable to my meditation practice, but at least it seems to have coincided with it.
Beauty. I catch myself more often being struck by beauty. Not only sunsets but also the beauty of peoples' dress, of language, of various animals (magpies, various insects) and plants, and also landscape features like hills. I don't experience the beauty of these separately (though it probably seems that way because of how I write about them), but more often together as part of the same scene. It's a great joy!
Observing non-critically, withholding judgement. I've been practicing a more mindful approach generally. For example, when reading code or someone's writing, I try to practice a small hesitation. I hold back from assuming that my initial understanding is correct and re-read the material to check if I really understood it. I'm hopeful that this will help me to avoid mistakes in future and also make the reading experience more engaging (both for code and writing).
Seeing obstacles as opportunities. Initially I had to somewhat coax myself into mindfulness. I have been mindful many times throughout my life, but carving out a specific time in my day just for this practice took a bit of persistence. There is a saying that no meditation is "bad" – what matters most is that you simply do it. In this spirit, I tried to look at my effort (and the resistance to it) as an obstacle leading to an opportunity – the opportunity to increase awareness and inner peace.
Moving quickly without rushing. In the Catastrophe book, Zinn refers to: "being aware even when moving quickly" and suggests: "shift your awareness ... to a sense of your body as a whole moving through space". I practiced this awareness during busy moments, such as shopping and commuting. It really took the stress out of these and at times made them quite enjoyable.
I hope you found these insights interesting and that perhaps I've whetted your appetite for practicing mindfulness – in whichever way works best for you.
Namaste!